Football greats to emphasize safety, fundamentals at camp

STOCKTON - Area youngsters have an opportunity to spend some time with several football legends who are spreading their knowledge with an eye on safety this summer.

Bob Highfill

STOCKTON - Area youngsters have an opportunity to spend some time with several football legends who are spreading their knowledge with an eye on safety this summer.

Former Raiders greats Clifford Branch, Rod Martin, Jeff Barnes, Jerry Robinson and several other former players are scheduled to take part in an Elite Celebrity Youth Football Camp from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 8 for kids ages 10-14 and June 9 for kids ages 15-18 at Sierra Middle School in Stockton.

Their goal is to inspire youngsters and teach the campers the right way to play the game so they stay healthy on the field and have more fun. Proceeds will benefit the Northwest Trojans youth football program.

"It's the fundamentals that need to be taught," said Robinson, a linebacker with the Eagles from 1979-84 and the Raiders from 1985-91. "We're as concerned as anybody with the safety of the game."

Robinson is one of about 12 former NFL players, many of whom played for the Raiders, serving as coaches for the camps, which started this year and are scheduled statewide. The camps are non-contact with instruction geared for each position. The coaches also pass along life lessons.

"We talk about being good to your parents and education and how you get into a great university is by getting good grades," said Barnes, who lives in Stockton and has two Super Bowl rings from his time playing linebacker with the Raiders from 1977-87. "If we have 100 kids and one of them turns out to be a pro football player and gives back to the community, then it would be worthwhile."

If the coaches' interaction with the youngsters leads to one them becoming a doctor or teacher, that's OK with them, too.

"My whole life is about helping kids and letting them know you can be whatever you want to be if you put your mind to it," said Branch, a three-time Super Bowl champion receiver with the Raiders from 1972-85.

Martin, a 12th-round draft choice out of USC, played linebacker for the Raiders for 11 seasons and was part of the group that helped start the camps last year. He hopes the camps reach as many youngsters as possible.

"It's giving back," said Martin, who played on the Raiders' Super Bowl title teams in 1980 and 1983. "We were fortunate to do what we did and other people have these same goals, but we want to stress having multiple goals because football is a short-lived career."

All of the former players involved in the camps, like many who have had extensive football careers, are dealing with health issues they say were caused by the wear and tear the game put on their bodies. Robinson has had a total hip replacement and plans to have the other replaced. He said he is among the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the league and suffers memory lapses from eight concussions he said he sustained while playing football. But he said he chose to play the game and has no regrets.

"You don't play 13 years and come out of it healthy," Robinson said. "That's the wear and tear. It does have a toll, but that's the game. I enjoyed it while I played and the more I'm away from it, the more I miss my teammates, and that's why I'm involved with the camps."

The former players believe injuries can be reduced and the game can be more fun if proper fundamentals are followed and advances continue in equipment. They should know, as they have 49 years of combined NFL experience and eight Super Bowl rings between them.

"It's important to me that the kids I'm working with know how to tackle correctly," Robinson said. "Nothing, as far as I'm concerned, is more scary than a parent watching his kid playing football and their kid goes down and the stands go silent. A lot of that takes place from tackling the wrong way. When you teach them when they're young, they have a better chance. The coaches from the camps have been-there and done-that. It's important these kids have fun and learn something."